The 5 Best Songs Of The Week

Stereogum staff picks the top new songs of the week, featuring a mix of shoegaze, heavy rock, and electronic beats.

This Week's Top Picks The

Stereogum staff has chosen the five best new songs of the week, showcasing a diverse range of genres and styles. From the hazy, cathartic soundscapes of shoegaze to the heavy, harrowing riffs of rock, these tracks are sure to captivate and inspire.

Shoegaze

Transcendence starbelliedbug's "crayola car" is a standout track that launches into a hazy, cathartic whirlwind. The song features an obfuscated spoken-word monologue over repetitive, distorted guitars, evoking the sound of Drop Nineteens. Despite the unclear lyrics, the music itself seems to be an attempt to erase and drown out the vocals, creating a sense of pure transcendence.

The song emerged from a failed attempt to make a trip-hop track, but it eventually welcomes in gnarly power chords and gruesome vocals. However, it's at its most haunting when the guitars are shimmering like the sun reflecting off metal, and the vocals are delivered in a bleary, under-the-breath tone.

The track features Heaven Schmidt's twangy, wobbly vocals, backed by indie roots-rock instrumentation that bridges the gap between tasteful and tasty. The lyrics are a highlight, with Schmidt warbling about pulling a sword out of someone's throat and making magic. The song is a hell of an introduction to Grumpy's music and proof that Schmidt remains one of the most gifted songwriters in the game.

Halifax-born beatmaker's ability to combine seemingly disparate elements. The song starts out as florid, ruminative post-rock guitars and pianos, but it eventually incorporates a neck-snap drum loop and chopped-up samples. The mood never breaks, but it takes on different shapes and colors, creating a unique and captivating sound.

The song features an amusing hook, with Tinashe delivering the line "Sleeping, sleeping, sleeping on me/ Bitch, you so melatonin." When a rap comes in one-third of the way through, her voice is animated and slick, creating a seamless and wonderfully jarring effect. It's not just a song to play at a party - it's the whole party.

Source: Stereogum